Lennie's Wonderful Life
by Jennifer James
Summary: Lennie sees how things would be if he left the force
1. LWL

Disclaimer: Portions of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" and L&O characters were used without permission.  
  
Lennie pushed through the door leading to the squad room and headed to his desk. Bleary eyed, he was oblivious to the usual hubbub and activity of the other detectives as they went about their daily routines. After dumping more paperwork onto his ever growing 'to be typed' pile, he slid out of his all-weather coat and draped it haphazardly over a hanger before shoving it into the overfull rack.  
  
He wasn't feeling it today. The ever present desire that he'd always felt for 'the job'. It seemed to be on hiatus and quite possibly, checked out for good. Jack McCoy had just busted his chops over some ass backward ruling that threw out a suspect's confession. Lennie knew things had changed a lot over the years, but in the past whenever he'd asked someone in English if they understood their rights and they answered in reasonably comprehensible English that they did, any confession that came afterwards was good enough to take to the bank.  
  
Now some idiot defense attorney had convinced some equally moronic judge that just because the suspect's first language wasn't English he hadn't fully understood, and therefore his rights had been violated. Lennie snorted as he remembered the interrogation. The guy had understood enough English to try and get his ass out of the fire once he smelled the smoke and felt it burning. This latest 'no comprende' routine was a load of bullshit.  
  
Lennie watched his young partner breeze in and immediately felt the energy that seemed to charge the air wherever he went. Ed Green was a good kid and a good cop. His temper had occasionally landed them both in tight spots over the course of their partnership, but Lennie always knew his intentions were honorable. Ed pursued every case with the drive and single- mindedness of someone who genuinely believed that he could effect change. The job got to him, sure. It got to everybody from time to time. But Ed possessed something that was essential to doing what could, over time, begin to feel like a thankless job; the ability to shake it off and bounce back. Lennie envied him that because, as much as he'd fought admitting it to himself, he felt it slipping away.  
  
"Hey man." Ed chirped brightly. Lennie responded with a lack luster wave that seemed more like he was swatting flies than greeting someone. "Where'd you disappear to?" Ed asked as he slipped out of his suit coat and hung it over the back of his chair. "I thought we were gonna meet up outside the court house and go check out that tip Roscoe's girl gave us."  
  
Lennie grimaced, stupefied that he'd completely forgotten all about that after running into McCoy. Truth be told, he hadn't been particularly looking forward to chasing down some half baked lead supplied by a pipe head that more then likely would amount to nothing. Plus, he had kind of a weird feeling about it that he couldn't explain. But it was part of the job, and God forbid they didn't exhaust all possible sources to bring a perp to justice. They knocked themselves out everyday building credible cases only to have their conduct and professionalism put under a microscope if some crook's feelings got hurt in the process. And he was tired of it. Tired of what seemed to have turned into a game where every call the officials made went in the bad guys favor.  
  
"So you wanna get on that?" Ed had been talking to him, but he hadn't been listening.  
  
"Get on what?" Lennie grabbed his mug and got up to get coffee. As he reached for the pot, he noticed that someone had put it back on the burner empty and the heat had cracked the glass bottom. "Damn!" He groused. "Is it asking too much to turn off the burner if the pot is empty?"  
  
Ed turned around in time to see him chunk the ruined coffee pot into the trash. "Geez Lennie, calm down." He cautioned. "Man, it ain't that serious."  
  
"You think?" Lennie shot back as he crossed the squad room to the other coffee station. He poured his coffee and was heading back to his desk when Anita called him.  
  
"Say, Lennie?"  
  
Reluctantly he backtracked to her office and popped his head in, hoping she wasn't about to deliver news that would make a crappy day even crappier.  
  
"You bellowed?"  
  
Anita got up from her desk and walked to where he stood at the door. "You can wipe the scowl off your face, Detective. This isn't official business."  
  
Lennie feigned a pathetic smile and Anita snorted. "My goodness, you're in a bad way today. Wanna talk about it?"  
  
"Pass." Lennie said and sipped the hot coffee.  
  
"Well anyway, I just wanted to invite you guys to come by the store tonight for the annual Christmas blowout. Donnie's closing things down at seven and he thinks we should be ready to roll around eight." Lennie nodded and Anita relaxed against the door frame as she spoke to him. "Rick's about to pop waiting to hear your latest---" she cleared her throat and paused for affect, "jokes, I believe you call them."  
  
This revelation managed to elicit a genuine smile. "Hey Lieu, that's real nice of you, but to be honest I'm not really in a festive mood."  
  
"What?" Anita laughed. "You mean you're gonna pass up the chance to corrupt my child? C'mon Lennie." She urged, poking him in the side. "It ain't a party without your one liner's. Besides, you know we love having you."  
  
Lennie appreciated the sentiment, but he just didn't feel like socializing. He shook his head definitively. "No, I think you guys are gonna have to take turns going into the men's room and read the wall." He quipped. "That's where I get most of my material anyway."  
  
"Okay, Lennie." Anita sighed, disappointed. "Are you sure you don't need to talk about anything? You seem a little out of sorts." He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "Well, I mean even for you."  
  
"Actually, I'm not really feeling so hot today. I think I'm coming down with whatever's going around." He lied, making little effort to sound convincing. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'm gonna knock off early and go take something for it."  
  
Anita nodded as she studied him and he shifted uncomfortably. He needed to get out quick because she had a knack for rooting stuff out of people. Lennie threw in a forced cough for good measure.  
  
"All right, Lennie. You can go ahead and take off. I'll let Green know what's going on." She said and before she could finish the sentence, he was halfway to his desk. He deposited the half empty cup on the pile of paperwork he'd dumped earlier. If he was lucky, somebody might knock it over. Anita and Ed watched as he trudged over to retrieve his coat and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
"Feel better." She called after him and he waved over his shoulder.  
  
Confused, Ed turned to look at Anita who shook her head and shrugged. She continued to mull it over as she walked back to her desk and sat down. She was tempted to phone Lennie's apartment and leave a message for him to call her when he got in, but she didn't get to finish the thought. Another one of her detectives knocked on the door and stepped into her office.  
  
"Say, Lieu. Can you take a look at this?" He asked before shoving a report under her nose. Whatever was going on with Lennie would just have to keep until tomorrow.  
  
****  
  
Lennie unlocked his door and pushed it open. He walked into the living room and dropped his keys and coat onto the couch before shrugging off his suit coat and tossing it on top. He slid into his recliner and picked up the remote. After clicking it on, he settled on a re-run of 'Columbo' and leaned back into the soft leather of the chair. He only half watched the show, and as he sat there many thoughts ran through his head.  
  
He'd stayed too long. A few years ago, if anybody brought up the subject of retirement, he'd cringe and fire off one of his signature wise cracks.  
  
"Retire? And do what? Take up needle point? No thanks!"  
  
Now he was beginning to seriously consider hanging up the shield. It was a different world. He couldn't turn on the t.v. or pick up a paper without seeing how some crook had walked free on a technicality. His job was useless. Justice, it seemed, had become the exception and not the rule. It didn't make sense to continue to exert the physical energy (which required a greater effort for him with each passing year) and the emotional investment it took to be a good cop because it didn't make a difference. It hadn't made a difference in a long time. At least he hadn't.  
  
Lennie yawned and his eyelids felt heavy with sleep. "Hell. I shoulda retired years ago." He mumbled to himself. As he drifted off to sleep, he chuckled at a joke someone made about Columbo's infamous overcoat. 


	2. LWL II

Lennie heard someone calling his name. Everything was quiet and he was quite comfortable in his chair, having kicked it back into a reclining position. He stirred a bit, annoyed at whoever was disturbing his peaceful repose.  
  
"Leonard."  
  
There it was again. Only, who the hell was calling him 'Leonard'? He hadn't been called that since he'd been late with his alimony check a few years back. Must be some telemarketer calling. Leave a message, he thought, or better yet --don't.  
  
"Wake up, Leonard." The voice called, still soft but more insistent.  
  
Lennie cracked his eyes and saw that the room was filled with the shadows of dusk. He stretched lazily and rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes. How long had he been out? He knew it must've been a while because his stomach was growling, demanding immediate attention.  
  
He pushed the chair into sitting position and sat for a minute looking at the television. The reception had gone out and snow filled the screen. Great. The cable must've gone out again. That meant no t.v. for the rest of the evening. As he stumbled to his feet he wondered where he'd put the one book he owned.  
  
"Good evening, Leonard."  
  
Lennie stopped abruptly and swung around. "Who's there?" He called, peering into the dark corners of the living room. "I warn you now, I'm packing. So do us both a favor and c'mon out."  
  
The voice laughed softly. "I'll come out, but not because of your tempting promise of bodily harm. Oh, by the way you aren't, how did you say it, packing? At least not anymore."  
  
Lennie's hand instinctively went to his right side and he felt for his piece. It was gone. He didn't remember taking it off, but obviously he had. He looked under the coats on the couch and around the recliner.  
  
"It's not here, Leonard."  
  
"Will you knock it off?!" Lennie shouted. "The name's Lennie."  
  
"Okay, if that's what you prefer." The voice said amiably. "I like that better anyway. I'm sorry if I've offended you, but it said 'Leonard Briscoe' on my assignment sheet and they are sticklers for rules."  
  
Lennie stopped looking for his gun and looked in the direction the voice was coming from. "Who are 'they'?" He demanded. "Look, where the hell are you?"  
  
"I'm right here." The voice told him calmly. "Over here, on the television."  
  
Lennie's eyes shot to the t.v. and he saw a funny little white haired man with a bulbous nose and soft chin smiling at him. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. After a minute he opened them slowly and still saw the same thing.  
  
"You aren't imagining this, Lennie. I'm real."  
  
Lennie walked back and stood in front of the television. Mystified, he asked, "Who are you? What are you?"  
  
"I'm Clarence Oddbody and my official title is AS2."  
  
"AS2?"  
  
"Angel, second class."  
  
Lennie thought he felt the floor move and he sat down on the couch. "Come again?"  
  
"It's okay, Lennie. I've come in answer to your prayer."  
  
Lennie rubbed his head. "Now, I know this is a dream."  
  
"No, really." Clarence assured him. "I'm your guardian angel."  
  
"My guardian angel, huh? Sent to answer my prayer?"  
  
Clarence beamed. "Yes."  
  
"You said 'angel second class'. What does that mean?" Lennie queried.  
  
Clarence deflated a little as he answered sheepishly, "Well, that means I haven't gotten my wings yet."  
  
"An angel without wings?" Lennie chortled. "That figures."  
  
"I've got to earn them." Clarence explained. "That's why I'm here to help you."  
  
"And yourself in the process." He couldn't believe he was sitting here talking to his t.v.  
  
"You're not talking to the t.v., Lennie. You're talking to me."  
  
A shiver went down Lennie's spine and he picked up the remote control. "Not anymore I ain't." He clicked off the television and sank back into the couch. He shook his head to make sure he was fully awake once and for all and exhaled heavily. Man. That was one weird trip.  
  
Lennie stood up and headed to the kitchen for something to eat. He switched on the light and opened the fridge to survey the contents. He bent down to pick up a container of deli meat and when he stood up, Clarence was standing on the other side of the door.  
  
"What in hell?" Lennie gasped and jumped back, dropping the meat.  
  
"Oh no, Lennie." Clarence shook his head. "You mean what in heaven."  
  
Lennie backed up towards the drawer where he kept his cutlery. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you've got about two seconds to get outta here." He warned as he pulled the drawer open and took out a knife.  
  
Clarence sat down at the kitchen table and folded his arms. "I'm not here to hurt you, Lennie. I'm here because you called for me. I'm here to help."  
  
"This was vaguely amusing when I was still half asleep, but now it's downright disturbing. No go on and beat it."  
  
"Can't." Clarence was resolute. "Not until I've done what I was sent to do."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Lennie you've been given a special gift. A chance to see what things would be like had you retired a long time ago."  
  
Lennie dropped his hand, a puzzled look washing over his face. "How did you know about---" his voice wavered a bit, "about that?"  
  
Clarence was silent, smiling benevolently as the reality of what was happening sank in for his charge. Lennie put the knife back into the drawer and closed it. Tentatively he approached the table and sat down across from Clarence.  
  
"If you are what you say you are, what're you doing wasting time with me?" He asked ruefully. "I think I got a pretty good idea about what things would be like if I'd retired a long time ago. Just the way they are."  
  
"Are you so sure of that, Lennie?"  
  
"Look, Gabriel ---".  
  
"It's Clarence. Clarence Oddbody."  
  
"Whatever." Lennie told him shortly. "I don't know how much you guys get to see from up there, but things down here ain't so good."  
  
Clarence nodded. "Yes, it makes us very sad." He admitted. "But what makes us even sadder is when a good man like you loses his will to try and make it better."  
  
"Clarence, it doesn't matter. It's like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a teaspoon." Lennie argued. "Nothing I do makes a difference. It doesn't mean a damn thing to anybody."  
  
"Oh, Lennie." Clarence sighed. "You really have no idea how many people's lives you've touched, do you?"  
  
Lennie rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You mean like that creep who's gonna walk because he didn't understand his rights when I spoke them in English?"  
  
Clarence waved his hand. "Oh that it'll take care of itself. But enough of sitting here, we've got to go."  
  
"Go? Where?"  
  
"Well normally I'd just let you walk around for a while and get a real good dose of what things would be like if your prayer was answered. However we don't have time for aimless wandering because we're on a tight schedule. So I'm just going to show you three instances where you not being a cop made a difference."  
  
Clarence stood up and rousted Lennie out of his chair. "C'mon now, get your coat. It's cold out there."  
  
"This isn't going to make a bit of difference." Lennie predicted sourly and Clarence laughed.  
  
"We'll see." He patted Lennie's shoulder warmly. "We'll see." 


	3. LWL III

Clarence led Lennie to a familiar playground and they stood in the shadows watching several young men cavort and carry on. It seemed harmless enough until he recognized the guy in the center of it all who seemed to be making the most noise.  
  
"Hey." Lennie jabbed Clarence in the side. "I know that hump! Me and Ed brought him in a few years ago for shooting a lady while he was trying to steal her purse. What the hell's he doing out?"  
  
"He never went in." Clarence informed him.  
  
"Of course he went in!" Lennie bellowed. "His name's Bobby Sabo. I remember it as clear as it was yesterday. Van Buren called us into her office to say that he'd given up some serial rapist in exchange for a lesser sentence. Jerk got six years for killing that lady."  
  
Clarence shook his head. "No, Lennie, he never went down for that. Oh, they got close, and a couple of times it looked like they had him, but nobody could ever make all the pieces fit. Not the way you would have had you still been on the force."  
  
"Whatdaya mean? I was still on the force!"  
  
"Remember what you said before we left the apartment? You said it wouldn't have made a bit of difference to anybody had you retired years ago." He pointed to Bobby, who commanded the attention of all the other young men who milled around. "Well, here we are. When Mr. Sabo got away with killing that poor woman, he became a big man around here. This is his turf now and those young men do his bidding."  
  
Lennie gritted his teeth so hard his jaw began to ache. "This is ridiculous. I know what happened because I was there."  
  
"You weren't there. I told you that I was going to show you how things would be if you had retired years ago, like you wished. Now you see."  
  
Lennie watched Bobby hold court. The other young men seemed to hang on his every word. "You mean to tell me this creep is somebody's hero?"  
  
"Sadly, yes." Clarence nodded. "These boys didn't get the chance to see what a real hero was. They didn't get to see a hard working dedicated detective bring someone who had broken the law to justice."  
  
"That's ridiculous." Lennie spat. "Surely, there were other cops working the case. What were they, a bunch of bumbling idiots?"  
  
"No, not all. They were good cops, but they didn't have the investment you would have had. You see, this was another crucial point in your life." Clarence reminded him. "Your abilities and fitness were under fire, and you knew that just because you were older it didn't mean that you couldn't do the job. Some guy's would've let Mr. Sabo's taunts and the doubts of their co-workers discourage them, but you didn't. You let it fuel your desire to prove that there is value in wisdom and experience." Clarence looked over at Bobby. "Well, that's to say you would have proven it had you stayed on the force."  
  
Lennie brooded. "So Bobby got off because I retired?"  
  
"I suppose he's actually very successful. That is, if you consider being a drug dealer and a thief a success." Clarence paused a moment and turned to look at Lennie. "And that woman he got away with killing? She wasn't his last victim."  
  
Lennie opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and he bit his lip, hard.  
  
"Well, what was to prevent him? He got away with it, and now he believes that nobody can touch him." Clarence watched him turn away and knew that it was time to move on.  
  
"I've seen enough." Lennie told him.  
  
Clarence patted him on the back. "Yes, I figured you had."  
  
****  
  
They walked into a bar and took seats at the end. Lennie had forgotten his gloves and he rubbed his hands together. What they'd just seen was really eating at him. Bobby Sabo, a free man. Because he hadn't been there to make the pieces fit.  
  
"What's your poison?" The bartender asked.  
  
"Club soda." Lennie told him.  
  
The cash register dinged when a waitress opened it to make change.  
  
"Oh, boy!" Clarence exclaimed excitedly. "Somebody just got their wings."  
  
"What?" Lennie asked, confused.  
  
"That bell. Every time you hear a bell ring that means an angel has gotten his wings."  
  
Lennie eyed him dubiously. "Uh-huh."  
  
The bartender returned with Lennie's drink. "Get anything for you old timer?"  
  
Clarence blushed, delighted at the thought of partaking of spirits again. "Oh, my. Well, let me see." He tapped his head trying to recall what his favorite drink had been. "I believe I'll have a flaming rum punch."  
  
Both Lennie and the bartender looked at him with open mouths. The bartender put Lennie's club soda in front of him and stood in front of Clarence.  
  
"Say what?" He asked.  
  
"You're right; it's not nearly cold enough for that." Clarence patted the man's hand good naturedly. "Well, then give me a glass of Myrrh wine, heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves. Off with you now!"  
  
The bartender turned two shades of red. "Listen pal, we serve hard liquor in here. Real drinks for real men! You just take that routine somewhere's else." The man moved down the bar to next customer and barked, "What can I get you?"  
  
"Dear me, I think I offended him." Clarence said, befuddled.  
  
"Yeah, these guys are real sensitive." Lennie sipped his drink. "So what did you drag me in here for?"  
  
Clarence pointed to the other end of the bar where a beautiful young blonde sat talking to a dark haired guy. Another man sitting nearby seemed to have a serious interest in their conversation, but Lennie couldn't get a good look because he had his back to him.  
  
"I don't get it." He told him.  
  
"You will." Clarence assured.  
  
Lennie continued to watch the couple as they laughed and enjoyed each other's company. He shrugged and was about to look away when the other guy turned around. Lennie choked on his drink and Clarence pounded his back.  
  
"That's Russell Lowery!" He growled. "What's going on?"  
  
Clarence sighed wearily. "Shall I explain again?"  
  
"No save it." Lennie spat. "I don't care if I was on the force or not, whoever was working that case should've had enough to get that monster to trial."  
  
"Well, of course they went to trial." Clarence rolled his eyes. "The detectives who worked on it managed to eek out a case, but you weren't there to testify and get the tape where Andrea Blake identified Lowery admitted into evidence. You told the court you'd misinterpreted the evidence about her claim that she was being stalked."  
  
"Your testimony was crucial, Lennie, and it landed you in some pretty hot water with Van Buren. You came this close to perjury." He held his forefinger and thumb an inch apart. "But you knew that you had to make it up to that young girl. You knew you had to make sure that this 'monster' as you call him was never free to terrorize another young woman again."  
  
Lennie shook his head. "They got him for attempted murder and murder two."  
  
"Not without your testimony." Clarence popped a couple of peanuts into his mouth. "Russell Lowery continued to frequent that voyeur website looking for women to stalk and victimize."  
  
"This isn't happening." He spoke his thoughts aloud. "I gotta get out of here." Lennie took a couple of dollars out of his pocket and dropped them on the bar. He pushed through the door and Clarence scrambled to catch up with him.  
  
****  
  
"I'm going home." Lennie informed Clarence. "And I'm gonna sit in that damn chair until I wake up and things are back the way they should be."  
  
"No, no, no!" Clarence struggled to keep up with Lennie's long stride. "We still have one more thing to see."  
  
"Look you've proved your point alright?" Lennie stopped and Clarence slammed into him. "Or maybe I should say that I proved mine. Okay, so I wasn't there for those two cases, but those animals still shoulda gone down and they didn't. They slipped through the cracks just like a hundred others because everything is stacked against us!"  
  
"Lennie wait." He pulled on his arm to get him to stop. "This isn't about the system, it's about you! Okay, so the system's not perfect and it's not always fair. But it's what you've got and it needs men like you who care enough to make it work."  
  
"So the weight of the justice system falls on me?"  
  
"No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Clarence chided. "But we all have a path to follow. In these instances, you were the wild card. You swayed things in the direction they needed to go because that was your purpose. You were supposed to be there."  
  
Lennie shoved his hands in pockets. "Okay, so I made a difference in the past. But that was then and this is now." He looked Clarence in the eye. "I'm past my expiration date, Gabriel. Let's face it. It's time for me to hang it up."  
  
"Not yet, Lennie." Clarence spoke to him in a soothing tone. "You still have work to do."  
  
They began to walk again and Lennie felt strangely different. He looked all around them and noticed that it was daytime again. The sun was shining and they were on a busy street, very different from the quiet one they'd just been on. It was as if they'd been transported in time.  
  
"Where are we? What time is it?"  
  
"Brooklyn. Earlier today."  
  
"Brooklyn? Where in Brooklyn?"  
  
"Roscoe's place."  
  
While Lennie tried to remember why that sounded familiar to him, he heard shots ring out and the sound of people running and screaming. He took off in the direction of the gunshots and turned the corner to find a man down and another one crouched over him.  
  
As he neared them he recognized the man who was down. It was Ed.  
  
"Ed!" Lennie cried out and ran over to his partner.  
  
"Hey, get back man!" The other guy yelled at him.  
  
"But this is my partner!"  
  
"What're you talking about?" The man demanded as he fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a cell phone. "This is my partner and you are interfering! Now step back!"  
  
Lennie watched the man dial 911. "Yeah, I got an officer down! I repeat there's an officer down!" He told the dispatcher and relayed their location. "It's okay partner, hang on. They're on the way! Help is on the way."  
  
"What happened?" Lennie asked, still hovering.  
  
"I thought I told you to get back!" The man shouted. A crowd began to gather around to gape as Ed struggled to breathe.  
  
"Please, mister." Lennie pleaded. "I used to be a cop. I'm Lennie Briscoe from the 2-7. Maybe you heard of me? I knew this kid. Please let me help."  
  
"Look, I don't know who you are but if you wanna help get these people back and keep a look out for the ambulance."  
  
Lennie stood up and shoved at the crowd. "Get back! Let him have some air." After a couple of minutes he heard the ambulance's siren and ran to flag it down. "He's over here! Hurry! Please hurry!"  
  
The paramedic's jumped from the ambulance and went to work on Ed, who was making noises like he was choking. While they tried to clear his air passage he began to convulse.  
  
"Ed!" Lennie called, trying to get to him, but the other detective held him back. "Ed! C'mon Ed!"  
  
Clarence was suddenly at his side and Lennie grabbed him by the collar. "What the hell is going on, Clarence?"  
  
"Ed was anxious to follow the lead you got about Roscoe."  
  
"So what? What's that got to do with this?"  
  
"Well, if you'd have been there, you'd have voiced your concern. You remember that you didn't have a good feeling about it."  
  
"What're you telling me?" Lennie roared, tears clouding his eyes. "Are you telling me Ed's gonna die because I wasn't there? Is that what you're telling me?"  
  
Clarence put his hands on Lennie's. "You made him wait and check out the girl's story. Because of you, Ed didn't walk into a trap. Well, he wouldn't have if you'd have still been on the force to be his partner."  
  
Lennie pushed him away and turned back as they continued to work on Ed.  
  
"We gotta go, now!" The lady shouted at her partner.  
  
"We're losing him. I can't stabilize him."  
  
"No!" Lennie cried as he clawed his way through the crowd. "C'mon Ed! C'mon!"  
  
"Get this man back!" The guy paramedic called to the detective. Lennie broke down as the other man held him. He prayed. He prayed like he hadn't prayed in a long time.  
  
"Please, God. Take me back! Let me be a cop again. Please, let me be a cop!"  
  
"He doesn't look good." He overheard someone in the crowd say.  
  
Ed was dying. Ed was dying because he hadn't been there.  
  
"Oh, please God, please. Let me be a cop again."  
  
Lennie felt dizzy and everything went black. 


	4. LWL IV

Lennie came awake with a start. He bolted up in the recliner, gasping. He looked all around him and found the room as it had been when he'd fallen asleep, only now the sky was dark outside. The television played softly and he heard the laugh track of a sitcom. Lennie rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. It was a little after seven. His hand went to his side to check for his gun and he breathed a sigh of relief to find it there.  
  
He thought about everything he'd experienced that night. He wanted to believe that it had been a dream, but in his heart he knew it wasn't. He'd really gotten to see what life would have been like had he retired years ago. He got to see how things would've been had it not been for the good he'd done as a detective. He got to see that he really had made a difference.  
  
Lennie jumped out of the chair and reached for his suit coat and then pulled on his overcoat. Where did he put those damn keys? He finally found them between the couch cushions and as he hurried out the door, he began to whistle a Christmas song. He felt good, energized. He felt like going to a party.  
  
****  
  
Anita was going over one last report before heading out for the evening. She was looking forward to spending time with all of their friends and family. Only one thing would've made the night complete. Having Lennie there. She sighed as she signed off on the paperwork and handed it to the detective.  
  
As she turned to walk into her office she heard singing coming from the outer corridor.  
  
"Santa, baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring! I don't mean on the phone."  
  
Lennie waltzed through the door with a Santa hat on his head and continued to sing as he entered the squad room. He made his way to Anita and took her for a turn around the room, showing off his fancy footwork.  
  
"Santa baby, hurry down the chimney tonight! That's right! I'll hurry down the chimney tonight!" He finished and dipped Anita gracefully. The squad burst into spontaneous applause.  
  
"Well, what on earth got into you?' Anita laughed. "I thought you were sick?"  
  
Lennie grinned impishly. "Would you believe that it went as fast as it came?"  
  
"Uh-huh." She nodded, eyeing him suspiciously. "Are you sure I don't need to be concerned?"  
  
"Oh no way, Lieu. I'm high on life and that's all. It's great to be a cop, ain't it?"  
  
Ed walked in and saw Lennie. "Hey! Look's like Santa's had a hard year." He teased as he came over.  
  
Lennie put his hand on Ed's shoulder and looked at him fondly. He had a good partner. And they did good work together. He'd never forget that again.  
  
"You alright man?" Ed asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm great!" Lennie boomed. "Now didn't I hear somebody say something about a party earlier?"  
  
Anita went into her office for her coat and purse. "Yeah, a bunch of us were just about to take off." Lennie held her coat while she slipped into it. "I take it you'll be joining us?"  
  
He held out his arm and she took it. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
As they walked out, he heard a bell ring behind them and stopped.  
  
"Hey, listen at that!"  
  
Anita and Ed listened but heard nothing.  
  
"What are we listening for?" Ed asked.  
  
"That bell."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."  
  
Anita and Ed looked at him as if he'd lost his mind and Lennie just laughed.  
  
"Never mind." He told them as he held the door open. "I guess it's an inside joke. C'mon! We don't wanna be late for the party."  
  
**** "Law & Order" episodes referenced were "Ill Conceived" (2003), "Marathon" (1999), and "Stalker" (1998). 


End file.
